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Countryside Consultants Ltd Client Contract
Please read these terms and conditions carefully and ask us if there is anything you do not understand. They represent the client contract under which we will perform work on your behalf. Acceptance of our work constitutes an acceptance on your behalf of these terms and conditions.
1. Responsibility
for your work
The Director dealing with your work will be specified in writing.
All matters regarding your work should be addressed in the first instance to this director.
2. How we calculate our fees
Our fees are calculated in the following two ways:
(a) Set fee - you will be quoted a total price for the completion of work specified and in accordance with any other brief you supply at the time
of instruction.
Within this set fee all other contingencies are included. There will be no additional fee charged unless the brief issued to us changes or, under
exceptional circumstances, additional and unforeseen costs are incurred. Additional costs will be confirmed in writing and only by agreement with
the client, except where shown.
(b) Hourly rate - charged for at the rate of £48 spent dealing with the work divided into 10 minute units. We will provide you with an estimate
of the total amount of time it will take to produce the work you have requested although this may vary without notice and represents only our best
guess.
Travelling expenses, subsistence and all other contingencies are included within the hourly rate except where stated otherwise.
Special projects may be quoted at a different rate and confirmed in writing by us. This includes representation at inquiry or other similar instances.
The fee rate and time scales for delivery of the work will be set out in a written proposal. We will only start work when we have received a written
instruction to proceed.
3. Quotations
Quotations for set fees or special hourly rates are valid for sixty days. Prices are issued exclusive of VAT except where shown.
4. VAT
Countryside Consultants Ltd is liable to VAT, Registration number: 787 4615 80
5. Payment
Payment demands will be made by invoice issued on the satisfactory completion of work.
Payment conditions are strictly 21 days. Overdue accounts at the end of this period will be charged an administrative fee of £30 in addition to
interest at the rate of 3% charged for every 7 days beyond this due date.
6. Environmental Stewardship Applications
Submissions to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme will be made under the condition that this constitutes a risk.
Not all Countryside Stewardship applications succeed and we make no guarantee that an application will be successful. We will deem a satisfactory
completion of work to mean the submission of the application to the relevant Ministry of Agriculture Regional Service Centre and dispatch of the
accompanying management plan to you.
7. Applications for other grant schemes
Submissions to other grant schemes will be subject to the conditions of making an application to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme where a satisfactory
completion will be deemed to be submission of completed application form to the relevant grant issuing authority or individual.
8. Copies of reports
We will include up to a maximum of 3 hard copies of reports within a set fee unless otherwise stated in the clientsÕ brief. Additional copies of
reports will be charged at £25 per copy subject to complexity and time involved in publishing.
Where possible, an electronic copy will be made available to the client in pdf format.
9. Standard of work
We shall endeavour to produce the highest quality work on your behalf. However, we shall not be held responsible for omissions, mistakes or errors
in work or for any other eventuality arising out of unreasonable or unforeseen circumstances.
10. Loss of documents
Copies of reports and information sent to us will be held at our offices. Documents and other correspondence shall be sent from this office using
1st Class Post, Internet or courier delivery.
We shall accept no responsibility for failure of documents to reach us or for documents failing to reach their destinations.
11. Copyright
We shall include the price of acquiring maps and other copyright material within set fees where stated.
Clients that provide maps, plans and other copyright material do so at their own risk.
Copyright of material commissioned by the client shall be assigned in most cases from Countryside Consultants to the client on completion of the
work. Copyright of stock images and other items shall remain with us where stated in the contract brief. Countryside Consultants retains the right
to use commissioned work within its portfolio and display this to potential clients.
12. Codes of practice
As a progressive environmental consultancy we are keen to maintain high standards of professional quality. Ecological work is conducted under the
Code of Conduct as set out by the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management http://www.ieem.net/docs/05-Code_of_Professional_Conduct.pdf
13. Client feedback
We welcome client feedback within a view to continually improving the service we provide. This may be contributed (either positive or negative)
in writing or verbally to the partner dealing with your work.
14. Client confidentiality
Details of individual clients will be kept strictly confidential if requested in writing. We may use your name or company name within our own
promotional material although any further details shall only be disclosed by your written agreement if confidentiality has been requested.
15. Arbitration
Should any disputes fail to be resolved by agreement, an umpire or qualified independent solicitor whose identity is agreed by both parties shall
be appointed to arbitrate. Terms of the 1996 Arbitration Act apply.
16. Health and Safety Policy
Countryside Consultants is an unlimited company with less than 2 employees and therefore not subject to the relevant corporate legislation. It
does however operate a policy of individual Risk Assessments for specific contract work developed in consultation with the instructing agency.
This applies to all sub-contract work. Lone work is carried out under a ÔbuddyÕ system of contact.
17. Business details
Countryside Consultants is a limited company with Professional Indemnity cover to £0.5 Million and Public Liability cover to £0.25 Million.
Our full details are:
Countryside Consultants Ltd
Director Stewart Rampling (2nd directorship currently vacant)
Sweet Briar
Brook Lane
Cropthorne
Pershore
Worcestershire
WR10 3JX
Tel: 01386 861265
Fax: 01386 861265
Mobile: 0976 437484
E-mail: stewartrampling@countrysideconsultants.co.uk
COMPANY NO. 04480351